By Amplify — March 18, 2021
Shannon Fehr put on the first Women in Tech (WIT) conference in 2015 because she was tired of being the only female in the room when going to IT events. Many people doubted Shannon that she could fill a room with just women. “Are there that many women in IT? Do they care about enhancing their career with educational events and networking?” Shannon knew the answer was yes well before the day arrived. The first WIT event was a huge success with over 100 women.
In 2018, Shannon started Fehr Event Group and put on her first Women in Tech conference without corporate funding. The event was a huge success with over 300 women and the next year grew to over 500 women in attendance. In 2020 while still planning weddings, Shannon started RockIT Women; A company that fuels women in technology and propels them in a successful career and in life.
In continued celebration of Women’s History Month, we wanted to share our Q&A with Shannon with our readers.
Have you always been interested in technology?
Heck no – I actually feared it growing up. Just the word “technology” was so intimidating! I stayed clear of it!
Why is it important to you for women to come together in this way in the field of technology?
Women in technology are so supportive and truly want to see you succeed. Every woman needs champions, mentors and support from time to time. It is a lot easier to make things happen as a team instead of individually!
Do you feel that being a woman presented a unique set of challenges in your entrepreneurial journey?
Not really – no. If anything it has been the opposite. People want to see me succeed and have gone out of their way to help me!
What is your definition of success?
Happiness and look[ing] forward to Mondays instead of dreading them! I love what I do and I do not care that I am not making a ton of money or that my company is not huge or global or that I don’t have a ton of customers. I have always wanted to say “I love what I do.” It took me several years to get here – but I can 100% say that now.